Orson Whitley Pratt (1811-1881)
}} Early leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and last surviving member of the original Council of Twelve Apostles. He followed the 19th century Mormon practice of polygamy and had 10 wives and 45 children. He was also a writer, historian, and scientist. Biography Church Life History Orson Pratt was introduced to the young Mormon Religion by his elder brother, Parley Parker Pratt (1807-1857) who baptized him on his nineteenth birthday, 19 Sep 1830, in Canaan, New York. He served a number of short missions for the church in the eastern states. Zions Camp Participant One of the most interesting episodes in the early history of LDS Church was the march of Zion's Camp (1834). The members of the Church in Missouri were being persecuted, and the Prophet Joseph made it a matter of prayer and received a revelation on February 24, 1834. The Lord instructed the Prophet to assemble at least one hundred young and middle-aged men and to go to the land of Zion, or Missouri. (See D&C 130:19–34.) Zion’s Camp, a group of approximately one hundred and fifty men, gathered at Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834 and marched to Jackson County, Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the camp had increased to approximately two hundred men. In 1835, he was ordained to the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and was part of their historic mission the British Isles in 1839 to 1841. Nauvoo Era Returning to America in 1841, Pratt encountered a lot of contention in the church over several issues including plural marriage. He rebelled against Joseph Smith (1805-1844) after his wife, Sarah Marinda Bates (1817-1888) accused Smith of attempting to seduce her. He was excommunicated in 1842 but he requested reinstatement the following year. He later war president of the Bitish Mission in 1851. In 1865, he was one of the first LDS missionaries to work in Austria, but had no success there. Migration West Pratt was part of the 1847 Vanguard Company of Brigham Young that led the Mormon Migration to Utah. On 21 July 1847, he entered the Salt Lake Valley with Erastus Snow, three days prior to the main group. During this journey he kept a detailed record of the natural history encountered and assisted William Clayton with the invention of the pioneer Roadometer, precursor to the modern odometer. Gravestone of Orson Pratt Orson Pratt Born Setp 19, 1811, Hartford, Washington Co, New York. Died Oct. 3 1881. A Member of the First Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Church Historian, Philosopher, Scientist, Astronomer and one of the first two pioneers who entered Salt Lake Valley July 21, 1847. He established the Salt Lake Base and Meridian. His own epitaph was - "My body sleeps for a moment, but my testimony lives and shall endure forever." Backside of Gravestone: Wives Buried Here: Marian Ross, Adelia Ann Bishop, Juliaet Phelps, Mary Ann Merrill. Missionary Visits The following contacts are reported with Elder Orson Pratt: # Family of Aaron Cheney - 1831 New York Conversion to Mormonism by Orson Pratt and Joseph Smith Family Life Orson Pratt followed the 19th century Mormon practice of plural marriage, having 10 wives and 45 children. They would live in impoverished circumstances. Marriage to Sarah Bates 1st Marriage - Sarah Marinda Bates (1817-1888), the third child of Cyrus Bates and Lydia Harrington. She was the subject of the big scandal in 1842 that led to Pratt's temporary departure from the LDS return. In the Nauvoo era, both Orson and his wife Sarah were deceived by apostate John C. Bennett and were excommunicated thereafter. Orson fell into such a depression he nearly became suicidal but by the love shown by the Prophet Joseph himself, the Pratt's were re-baptized by the Prophet. She divorced him in 1868 and became an outspoken critic of the Mormon practice of plural marriage and founder of the Anti-Polygamy Society in Salt Lake. Most of their 12 children followed after their mother and left the LDS Church. # Orson Pratt (1837-1903) # Lydia Pratt (1838-1839) # Celestia Larissa Pratt (1842-1905) # Sarah Marinda Pratt (1844-1845) # Vanson Pratt (1846-1847) # Laron Pratt (1847-1908) # Marlon Pratt (1848-1849) # Marintha Althera Pratt (1849-1851) # Harmel Pratt (1851-1907) # Arthur Pratt (1853-1919) - US Deputy Marshall # Herma Ethna Pratt (1856-1877) - died three weeks after birth of her first son. # Liola Menella Pratt (1858-1860) Marriage to Charlatte Bishop 2nd Marriage - Charlatte Bishop (1823-). No children. Marriage to Mary Ann Merrill 3rd Marriage - Mary Ann Merrill (1819-1903) - m. 25 Nov 1845 in Nauvoo and she is buried with Orson in SLC. # Milando Merrill Pratt (1848-1930) # Vianna Merrill Pratt (1851-1936) # Oradine Merrill Pratt (1853-1872) # Lathilla Merrill Pratt (1855-1940) # Valton Merrill Pratt (1860-1940) Marriage to Adelia Bishop 4th Marriage - Adelia Ann Bishop (1825-1913) - Daughter of John Fitch Bishop and Lucy Goff and sister of Charlatte Bishop above. Married Orson Pratt, 13 Jan 1846, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. She is buried with Orson. They had several children: # Lucy Adelia Bishop Pratt (1847-1916) # Elzina Pratt (1851-1902) # Lorum Bishop Pratt (1851-1935) # Lorus Bishop Pratt (1855-1923) - Made significant artwork contributions on first four LDS Temples in Utah. # Eltha Bishop Pratt (1858-1928) # Orthena Bishop Pratt (1863-1936) Marriage to Louisa Chandler 5th Marriage - Sarah Louisa Chandler (1823-1846) - m. sometime in 1846 in Nauvoo, IL. No Children Marriage to Marian Ross 6th Marriage - Marian Agnes Ross (1829-1901) - m. 19 Feb 1852 in SLC. # Marian Agnes Ross Pratt (1853-1853) # Larinda Maressa Ross Pratt (1855-1918) # Milson Ross Pratt (1859-1936) # Irintha Ross Pratt (1862-1941) # Ray Ross Pratt (1871-1945) # Ruby Ross Pratt (1874-1948) Marriage to Sarah Lewis 7th Marriage - Sarah Louisa Lewis (1831-1855) - m. 21 June 1853 - Birmingham, England. # Willow Lewis Pratt (1854-1854) Marriage to Juliaet Phelps 8th Marriage - Juliett Ann Phelps (1839-1919) - daughter of Alva Phelps (1813-1846) who died early into the Mormon Battalion March. She is buried with Orson. # Alva Phelps Pratt (1859-1906) # Clomentia Phelps Pratt (1861-1941) # Ortherus Phelps Pratt (1863-1957) # Margaret Phelps Pratt (1868-1951) # Rella Phelps Pratt (1872-1954) # Neva Phelps Pratt (1874-1957) # Julius Phelps Pratt (1877-1947) Marriage to Eliza Crooks 9th Marriage - Eliza Crooks (1829-1869) - m. 24 Jul 1857 in Liverpool, England. She is buried in Tooele, UT. # Levius Crooks Pratt (1858-1862) # Dora Crooks Pratt (1860-1939) # Jared Crooks Pratt (1862-1877) # Onthew Crooks Pratt (1864-1864) # Samuel Crooks Pratt (1868-1888) Marriage to Margaret Graham 10th Marriage - Mary Margaret Graham (1852-1907) - She was sixteen years old when she married Orson in 1868, which caused Orson's first wife to divorce him. # Orlon Graham Pratt (1869-1932) # Pearl Graham Pratt (1872-1954) # Royal Graham Pratt (1874-1917 Vital Records 1870 US Federal Census Recorded in Utah. Primarily shows household of 4th wife. * Orson Pratt - m/58 - b:NY * Delia Pratt - f/44 - b:NY ( Adelia Ann Bishop (1825-1913)) * Lucy Pratt - f/12 - b:Nebraska * Zina Pratt - f/19 - b:Nebraska * Loran Pratt - m/17 - b:UT * Eloram Pratt - m/17 - b:UT * Louis Pratt - m/14 - b:UT * Eltha Pratt - f/11 - b:UT * Orthena Pratt - f/6 - b:UT 1880 US Federal Census Recorded for Salt Lake City 19th Ward on 05 Jun 1880. Shows Orson and many of his family. * Orson Pratt - m/68 - b:NY - ocp: Historian * Marian R Pratt - f/49 - wife - b:Scotland * Lorinda Pratt - f/24 - daughter - b:Norway * Margaret Ross - f/55 - sister-in-law - b:Scotland (sister to Marian R Pratt) * Annie Alston - f/27 - boarder - b:India - ocp: Hotel Waitress. * Christopher Alston - m/4 - - b:UT (Son of Annie) * Emma Hurst - f/43 - boarder - b:UT * Margaret Pratt - f/28 - wife - b:Scotland * Orson Pratt - m/10 - son - b:UT * Royal Pratt - m/6 - son - b:UT * Waylord Weltie - m/43 - son-in-law - b:NY -ocp: Mechanic (Orson's daughter, Milson is married to Waylord Weltie and they have four children living here.) * Milson Weltie - f/40 - wife - b:UT * Roy Weltie - m/9 - son - b:UT * Ruby Weltie - f/6 - daughter - b:UT * Iaintha Weltie - f/17 - daughter - b:UT - ocp: Store Clerk * Samuel Weltie - m/10 - son - b:UT * David Ross - m/23 - other - b:UT * Graham Z Pratt - m/3 - son - b:UT * Pearl Pratt - f/8 - daughter - b:UT * Eliza Slade - f/25 - boarder - b:England References * Articles on Orson Pratt - Jared Pratt Family Association. * Biography of Orson Pratt - Wikipedia * Gravesite of Orson Pratt in SLC - FindAGrave * Biography of Orson Pratt - BYU Encyclopedia of Mormonism. * http://www.gapages.com/pratto1.htm - Grandpa Bill's LDS General Authority Data Base References * Jared Pratt Family Ancestry - Royal English Family Ancestry and famous descandants * Jared Pratt Immigrant Ancestors - Early New England Ancestral Connections * General Authorities of the LDS Church - Apostle of the LDS Church * Pratt Family Organization * Orson Pratt Data Base - Grandpa Bill's General Authority Pages * Orson Pratt Journals - Amazon Books * Life and Thoughts of Orson Pratt - Amazon Books * Conflict in the Quorum - Amazon Books